Today's News

Typically, I avoid Clint Eastwood movies. The violence disturbs me, but I was advised to see “Gran Torino” and to report my thoughts and feelings about the film. So I did. And, I was amazed at what I saw.

The first surprise was there was a nearly full house on a Wednesday afternoon. Gray and graying heads bobbed in conversation, since we all arrived many minutes before show time. I caught bits and pieces of the varied dialogue, mostly about golf, taxes, and maladies—speech that seniors find interesting and informative.

SHALLOTTE—A local developer has donated 10 acres for a new town park, and the board of aldermen voted unanimously Tuesday night to apply for a state grant to make the first town park a reality.

The proposed park would include a 50-foot parking lot, a playground, a picnic shelter with four tables, four “mini fields” for soccer or other sports, a large multi-purpose field for youth football or soccer, an adult-size soccer field, a pedestrian trail, a small concession stand and restrooms.

SOUTHPORT—No Port Southport, a group of Southport-area citizens formed to stop the N.C. Ports Authority container terminal planned for the area, has done its homework.

At a public meeting last week at the Southport Community Building, group members presented facts they investigated on their own, after seeing a business plan from the Ports Authority that did not answer their questions.

The Aggressive Criminal Enforcement (ACE) Team is a support unit whose primary functions are traffic enforcement and assisting in the apprehension of drug traffickers in the county.

The ACE team conducts driving while impaired, driver’s license and criminal information checkpoints, as well as street-level investigations on controlled substances. The ACE team works with the sheriff’s office K-9 Enforcement Team and Drug Enforcement Unit to apprehend narcotics suspects as well as saturating hot spots where criminal activity is reported.

The Lockwood Folly Men’s Golf Association played its annual yellow ball mixer Jan. 16. In this four-person team event, alternating team members played a yellow ball on each hole while the other team members play a scramble. The yellow ball net score is added to the scramble score. Penalty strokes are incurred for losing a yellow ball.

Announcement is made of the forthcoming marriage of Allison Hardee of Shallotte and Randy Richardson of Bolivia. The bride-elect is the daughter of Grace Stone of Ocean Isle Beach and the late Ronald Hardee of McColl, S.C., and the granddaughter of the late Julia Edwards of Laurinburg and the late Hyman and Nevada Hardee of McColl. The prospective groom is the son of Pat Lynch of Maryland and Liston Richardson of Bolivia. A Jan. 31 wedding is planned.